1968 Overheating

[Mark #28455]

1970 front lift bracket vs 1969

see Vette Vues 1968 - 1972 fact book page 91 for the 390 HP 1969 front bracket - no 1/8" hole seen. Then look at page 150 for the 1970 390 HP bracket - see the 1/8" hole at the forward edge? The small throttle return spring is likely incorrect as they usually went back to the throttle cable mounting bracket on the rear carb stud. Just under the small throttle spring, you can see a lottle loop of 1/8" coat hanger-like steel rod that goes over and around the PCV hose. I can't guarantee this is correct, but I bought the brackets from a 1970 BB Chevelle years ago and the seller included a similar coat hanger-like piece. I asked him what "that piece of junk was" and he told me it held the PCV hose. Who knows, but now I've seen it from two sources.

Better question, why doesn't the 1969 have one? It seems this support wire would keep the PCV hose from chafing against the lift bracket.
Mark

[Mark J.]

Re: Before you go too far...

I agree - would like to see a description of your overheating symptoms. I also have a 68 L-36 and struggled with overheating for some time. I went through a variety of things that provided very small incremental improvement, like sealing off the radiator to make sure airflow was not going around the rad, vac advance on manifold vac, lots of little things. On a hot day the guage would creep to the right of 210 on the highway and 5 minutes of idling or stuck in traffic would have it creeping towards 220 or more, and worst of all, the radiator would puke coolant. My mechanic told me to install an overflow can and stop worrying about it!

One mistake I was making was OVERFILLING the radiator!! Check the manual, it tells you to fill the radiator within 3" of the top. Put a ruler down there. Three inches is a long ways down. To the untrained eye it looks like your coolant is low, but you need 3" for expansion or your cooling system will push it out the overflow. That reminds me of an aftermarket mod I would strongly recommend. Buy some type of overflow jug to attach your overflow hose to. Don't just puke coolant all over the street or your driveway.

Finally, and totally unexpected,(sorry NCRS!) I installed ceramic coated hooker headers and the engine runs much cooler now. With a 180 stat stays at that temp most of the time, and stays to the left of 210 even in 95 deg driving like last Sunday.

[Terry F.]

Re: Engine Lift Brackets

John, I thought that was some sort of joke??? I couldn't figure out what those things are untill I re-read your post and realized you were serious and that these devices were used to hold suspended engines, I assume. I am trying to figure out what type of brackets were used in 68. Terry